So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

Yesterday I stood in the middle of the debris of a house fire that tragically struck one of our Bethany families.  The blaze was Saturday afternoon, so the fire trucks had long since left and the insurance adjuster was poking through the aftermath of soot and char.  To enter the structure, I was given an N95 mask, but even so, the smell of acrid smoke caught in my throat.  I was only in there for 10 minutes or so, but this morning, when I put on my overcoat, I could smell it.

With the family, I stood together in the house and prayed.  And as I spoke, my foot crunched on a partially burned cinder. The crunch sounded like broken glass run over by a car tire. In the midst of such loss, what do you say and how do you pray?  So much will need to be rebuilt and restored.  The family is in for a difficult year.

But as we spoke, I heard hope. I heard courage. I heard resolve. And I thought to myself, “This is where ‘the rubber meets the road’; this is where faith in Jesus makes a difference.”  Yes, much has been lost, but nothing essential. And they were grateful. Their children were safe and injuries were healing with no permanent damage. They still had everything that was truly important. Stuff is stuff and has its place.  But God is faithful; and this family still had their faith in God, their smile and each other. They are not fixing their eyes on what is temporary, but on what is eternal.

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This morning, along with millions of other Americans, I watched as President Biden was sworn in as the 46^th President of the United States.  It was a peaceful transfer of power, for which I am grateful.  President Biden spoke of new beginnings and unity. I certainly hope and pray that this is so. But if the last weeks, months and year has taught me anything, with COVID, civil unrest and political divisions and corruption, it’s that my hope is not resting in America.  I’m looking for a city whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10).   My confidence is not in things that are seen, but in things that are unseen.  While I’m a grateful citizen of the United States of America, my ultimate citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20) and my allegiance is to the King of kings, and Lord of lords. I want to keep my focus on what is unseen (God’s kingdom) rather than that which is seen (human authority).

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On Friday, I’m doing a funeral for the mother of a friend I have here at Bethany.  She passed away suddenly on Monday. His father had just passed away two months earlier. That’s a lot of loss. But my friend is sorrowful, but not in despair. His mom knew the Lord and is now celebrating in the presence of Jesus.  She ran the race and finished the course (2 Timothy 4:7). And as we sat in my office planning the service, every scripture, every prayer, every song points to Jesus.  We are building the service around the Brooklyn Tabernacle’s song, He’s Been Faithful.   My friend is focusing on the long look- eternity and heaven, not the here and now.

Each day I have a choice and so do you.  We can fix our eyes on that which is seen or that which is unseen; that which is temporary or that which is eternal. It doesn’t have to be something big: a house fire, political upheaval or the death of a loved one. But big events do tend to reveal our true heart.  Let’s focus on what truly lasts for eternity.

Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress; I will not be shaken. Psalm 62:6

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Hebrews 12:2